Chippewas falter against Toledo, tumble to 3-4 in MAC
Coming into Saturday's matchup with the Toledo, Central Michigan men's basketball coach Keno Davis was looking for his team to earn a victory and move up in the Mid-American Conference West Division.
Even though both teams are highly regarded for offense, defense proved to be the difference.
That's where the Chippewas (14-6, 3-4 MAC) fell short by four points, 76-72, to the Rockets (16-4, 4-3 MAC) at Savage Arena on Jan. 26.
Davis' group dropped to third place in the MAC West, while Toledo solidified itself at the top of the conference standings along with Northern Illinois.
How it Happened
CMU quickly got out to a 17-7 lead courtesy of five early points from junior forward David DiLeo.
The Rockets countered with an 8-0 run, bringing them within two points of the Chippewas with nine minutes left in the first half.
After a hard fought first half, Toledo held a 34-30 lead over the Chips.
Three quick buckets to start the second half gave the Rockets a 40-30 edge, which was the largest lead for either team throughout the entire contest.
CMU senior guard Shawn Roundtree Jr.'s shot from 3-point range brought his team within one-point at the 12-minute mark of the second half.
The Chippewas quickly followed by taking the lead with another 3-pointer, this time from junior forward Robert Montgomery, making the score 53-51 in favor of CMU.
The game continued as a back-and-forth affair, as both teams held the lead at multiple points throughout. Senior guard Larry Austin Jr. hit a layup to give his team a two-point margin, 64-62, with just over four minutes left.
Junior guard Dallas Morgan hit a big triple to tie the game at 67, but the Rockets showed resilience. Toledo took the lead on jumper by senior guard Jaelan Sanford with just under two minutes to go.
The Chippewas continued to play until the final whistle, but they couldn’t manage a late push.
Austin led the Chippewas with 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists – going 7-19 from the field. Roundtree also chipped in 14 points and four rebounds on a 4-of-14 shooting performance.
For Toledo, they were paced by Sanford’s game-high 22 points. He also had six rebounds.
Sanford wasn’t alone in eclipsing the 20 point mark, as junior center Luke Knapke had a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds. He was 9-of-11 from the field.
What’s Next
The Chippewas are on a three-game losing streak and face Eastern Michigan at 7 p.m. Jan. 26 in McGuirk Arena. The Eagles are 9-11 overall and 3-4 in the MAC.
